British Govt. Urged to Take Stronger Stand on Egypt’s Ban on Oil Tankers to Haifa

May 22, 1950

LONDON (May. 21)

The British Government was requested in Parliament this week-end to adopt a stronger line of action against Egypt’s refusal to permit British oil tankers to travel through the Suez Canal to Haifa refineries.

During a discussion on the rationing of gasoline in Britain, Conservative M.P., J.S. Arbuthnot drew the attention of the government to the situation in the Middle East. “It seems to be an absolutely absurd position,” he said, “that we are sending airplanes to Egypt while the Egyptian Government violates international law by refusing to allow British tankers to pass through the Suez Canal.

“If the government would have pursued a stronger line of action with regard to Egypt,” the Conservative M.P. continued, “we could have got our tankers through and could have been keeping the Haifa refinery going.” He emphasized that the government was responsible for the present difficult position of the British refineries in Haifa which have been rendered idle by Egyptian boycott measures against Israel.